Police Blotter, Week of May 9, 2013

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L.E.S. shooter convicted
The man accused of shooting and wounding three people on the Lower East Side in 2010 has been found guilty of all charges, including second-degree attempted murder, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance announced May 1.

Mario Rodriguez, 25, was also convicted on counts of assault, criminal possession of a weapon and reckless endangerment.

Around 8:45 p.m. on Oct. 26, 2010, Rodriguez was in the middle of an argument with another man in front of 195 Stanton St., when Rodriguez pulled out a 9-millimeter semiautomatic handgun and began firing at the other man, hitting him in the torso, according to court documents. Bullets fired by Rodriguez also struck two bystanders — a man, 44, and a woman, 52.

Rodriguez fled the scene, but was tracked to Jersey City, and was later arrested there by members of the Seventh Precinct Detective Squad, the D.A. said.

Rodriguez is expected to be sentenced June 6.

Taxi thief gets 11 years
The man convicted of assaulting a cab driver on the Lower East Side, stealing his taxi and then crashing it in Union Square has been sentenced to 11 years in prison, D.A. Vance also announced on May 1.

Michael Findley, 33, was found guilty of robbery, reckless endangerment, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property by a State Supreme Court jury last December.

Around 3:15 a.m. on Feb. 27, 2011, Findley got into a taxi at the corner of Bowery and Delancey St. After causing a disturbance, the driver asked him to get out at the corner of Houston and Lafayette Sts, according to court documents. When the hack then got out to try and remove his fare, Findley punched him and stole the taxi, speeding through Soho and Greenwich Village at more than 80 miles per hour, the D.A. said. After leading police on a wild chase through red lights and oncoming traffic, Findley crashed into a light pole at Union Square West and E. 15th St.

In addition to his prison term, Findley was sentenced to five years of post-release supervision.

Who’s the big man now?
Police arrested a man who allegedly threatened to cut another man with an illegal knife as they were riding a southbound F subway train past the W. Fourth St. station on Sat., May 4.

The victim, who was with his girlfriend at the time, said that around 9:30 p.m. he got into an argument with Dwayne Brown, 49, on the train. He said Brown then punched him in the mouth — and when the victim tried to use his cell phone to take a photo of the alleged aggressor, Brown reportedly pulled out a box cutter, brandished it and said, “You wanna be a big man in front of your girlfriend?”

Unfortunately for Brown, the other man didn’t have to do much, since there were a couple of Sixth Precinct officers walking along the W. Fourth St. platform — and when the train stopped, they heard the commotion and apprehended Brown. He was charged with menacing, assault, criminal possession of a weapon and disorderly conduct.

Phone snatching in bulk
A sticky-fingered duo allegedly tried to steal phones, credit cards and drivers’ licenses from four young women, all in their 20s, at a Meatpacking District bar and lounge early on Sun., May 5.

One of the victims called police to report that her phone had been stolen inside Gaslight, at 400 W. 14th St., around 2 a.m., and described the suspects, who were later identified as Eliza Barbosa, 40, and Johnny Thomas, 48. When officers arrived at the scene, they quickly spotted the two alleged crooks, since Thomas has been arrested numerous times before. After arresting them, the officers discovered all of the thieves’ spoils, which, in addition to the phones and cards, included a Louis Vuitton wallet.

Both Barbosa and Thomas were charged with grand larceny.

Passport to arrest
It’s tough to start a business these days — but it’s even tougher if the whole thing is a fraud. Tanisha Mack, 35, learned that the hard way when she was arrested outside a bank on April 30 after allegedly trying to open a business account using false documents.

Mack reportedly walked into the TD Bank at 122 Greenwich Ave. that afternoon, tried to open the account, and handed over a clearly fake passport, which gave a different name, address and date of birth.

The bank employee immediately called police to report it, and when they showed up soon afterward, Mack even tried to give her fake documents to the officers. But she wasn’t fooling anybody. Mack was charged with forgery.